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Was Macao’s neutrality a secret agreement between Portugal and Japan? |
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See answer below. |
The CPSP Commander Carlos de Sousa Gorgulho was dispatched to Japan in February 1939, which was one of the several Portuguese approaches to the Japanese government for the tensing situation in mainland China after the latter captured Guangzhou in 1938. However, the Portuguese Macao government’s ultimate objective was to expand Macao’s boundary to Wanzai and Hengqin islands (橫琴). Its plan met Japanese obstruction.
Although Portugal was a neutral state in World War II, its overseas territories were not immune to war. An allied force of Dutch and Australian took Portuguese Timor in 1942, following by Japanese invasion. After almost a year of battle, Japan fought off the allied force. Although the latter was far outnumbered, it still managed to cause heavy casualties on the Japanese forces. Japan returned Timor-Leste to Portugal when it surrendered in 1945.
Macao did not directly engage in World War II, but it saw conflicts over resources between Japan and the Allied powers. In August 1943, Japanese spies and Chinese traitors hijacked the ship Xi’an (西安號) carrying a large amount of fuel in the Inner Harbour in Macao. The Allied powers thus air raided Macao several times on the basis that it was a hotbed for Japanese smuggling activities. On 16 January 1945, the Allied powers’ fighters bombed the hangar at Zona de Aterros do Porto Exterior, where a large amount of fuel was preserved, four times. They also attacked the ship Masbate, which was involved in selling supplies to the Japanese.
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Was Macao’s neutrality a secret agreement between Portugal and Japan? |
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Rumour has it that Macao’s neutrality during World War II was a secret Portuguese-Japanese agreement. However, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not discovered any such document. Although Macao was not occupied by Japan during World War II, the Portuguese Macao government adopted a permissive attitude toward the Japanese that allowed Japanese spies and pro-Japan factions to gain a foothold in the city. The latter took advantage of Macao’s favourable position to smuggle military supplies and collect information. They even plotted assassinations against anti-Japanese activists. In short, Macao’s neutrality was more a tacit agreement between Portugal and Japan to exploit the city’s strategic value. |
